One Ultimatum Too Many?
by His1Princess
Summary: Rory and Logan after Yale, after the engagement, what would happen?
1. Chapter 1

One ultimatum too many?

I'd graduated Yale University over three months ago, and I'd been on the road for most of that time. I missed my mom terribly, and Lane, but even worse, I missed Logan. I missed him like someone would miss the arm that got chopped off. Every time I picked up the phone I felt an overwhelming sense that I needed to call him. But I couldn't. He'd given me that ultimatum, and that was the end of that.

"Gilmore! You got the scoop on ratings?" One of the many other reporters on the trail called running up to me.

"Up one, down three." I answered, handing his the sheet of paper I'd just received moments earlier.

"So when are you going to leave this hotel? I haven't seen you out and about in the California air since we got here." The man said, smiling a broad, toothy grin my way, and making me feel uneasy.

"Well, actually I'm meeting someone today." I answered, smiling right back though I had absolutely no plans.

"Oh, well, then see you tomorrow." He answered, looking rejected and turning to retreat back down the hallway.

"Stupid people." I muttered to myself before walking to the doors to go out side.

The air was warm and comforting, I felt as though I was braced in one, huge, long hug. But something was still missing.

"Rory?" I suddenly heard a voice ask, and when I turned, there he was, in all his blonde glory.

"Logan?" I asked, surprised, and yet, not.

"I heard you were on the campaign trail. But I hadn't seen you. You look well." He answered, smiling and looking at me in a mystified way.

"How'd you know that I was on the trail?" I asked, sure that he hadn't been reading the articles I was publishing.

"I called the house after a week or so…you're mom told me you'd gotten an amazing job on the campaign trail. You got a new cell number." He stated, looking at me differently.

"Oh, yeah, I just wanted a change." I replied, twirling some hair around my finger.

"So, how've you been, Ace?"

"Good, the jobs been amazing. Hectic, but amazing." I smiled out, more than happy to have this epic image in front of me.

"Well, that's great. I've been good too, thanks for asking" He replied sarcastically.

"Oh I'm, I'm-"

"Ace, I was just joking." He smiled out, making the butterflies in my stomach go crazy.

"Oh…I knew that…" I answered, blushing, and looking down to the ground.

"Logan, are you ready to leave?" A blonde girl suddenly yelled from the front seat of a red corvette.

"In a minute Honor!" He yelled over his shoulder, clearly agitated about something.

"Is that Rory? Oh, my goodness, it is!" The blonde yelled suddenly before grabbing the keys out the ignition and racing out barely having time to lock the car as she went.

"Oh, dear god." Logan whispered covering his face with his hand.

"Rory! How've you been?" Honor practically squealed when she reached us.

"I've been good." I answered as she gave me a large hug.

"Oh, there's so much you need to catch up on! So much has happened in the past few months, like when Logan decided that even though you had said no he was going to tell mom and dad that he proposed to them and then they kicked him out, disowned him practically and now he's-"

"HONOR! How about you go get some coffee? Seems like your lacking caffeine." Logan shouted interrupting Honor mid-rant.

At first Honor looked confused but then after a few moments of processing, she widened her eyes and said sure then scurried away faster than I would've thought anyone could in three inch heels.

"You got disowned? For proposing to me?" I asked once she was out of earshot.

"It's not quite like that." He answered, looking anywhere but at me.

"Then tell me how it is." I answered defensively, suddenly extremely sorry for not saying yes.

"Can we talk somewhere else? Somewhere not in the middle of the street?" He asked as I suddenly noticed there were tons of other people around and that most of them were looking at us.

We walked down the street to a small, but quaint restaurant where we were almost immediately seated.

"So…what happened?" I asked almost right after the waiter left after taking our orders.

"Well, like Honor said I told my parents that I'd proposed to you even though you'd said no…I decided they needed to know, regardless. Anyways, my mom and grandfather started in about how you were unsuitable and all that crap…and I just exploded, I yelled and cursed like hell. My dad got madder than me, and told me that if I couldn't control myself he'd disown me, so I told him that I'd do better and just give up being his son, then I walked out. I'm basically poor now. I pay a cheap rent living in a room at Honor's place. It's pathetic, but what can I do?" He smiled at the last bit, making me feel terrible for him.

"Logan…I'm so sorry." I replied looking donw into my plate of pasta and suddenly feeling terrible for making Logan go through everything that he'd been through in the past couple of months.

"Ace, it's not your fault. You didn't make me propose, I willingly did it, it didn't work in my favor, but rarely does anything go the way you plan it too." He replied, cutting his steak into bite-able pieces.

"Logan…it's not that I didn't want to marry you eventually-"

"See, it's that eventually that I had a problem with." He interrupted, pointing his fork at me before sticking into my mouth.

"Anyways, like I was saying, it's not that I didn't want too…I just wanted to make a life for myself first." I finished, glaring at him for a moment but then stopping myself when I remembered what I'd put him through.

"Ace, it's okay. I know that, I knew that back then, I just didn't want to wait." He replied, scooping some mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"Do you now?" I asked, hopefulness filling my voice so much that even I could hear it, and I sounded pathetic to myself.

"Do I what?" He asked, looking up, suddenly curious and wondering.

"Do you want to wait now?" I asked, as he dropped his fork to his plate, making a clattering noise that echoed inside my brain as he stared at me.


	2. Chapter 2

One Ultimatum Too Many?

Chapter 2

"Rory, I…I have to go." I replied, before quickly getting up out of my seat and hurrying towards the door, hoping she wouldn't try to stop me or make me turn and look into those gorgeous blue eyes; they would stop me.

"Logan, please, I'm so sorry. I didn't understand just how much I love you, and…I'm ready now. I'm all in. I don't want anyone else Logan, please." She begged, somehow managing to catch me and grab onto my arm.

"Rory, I have someone else." I stated, wishing I didn't have to.

"What?" She asked, suddenly breaking away from me.

"You heard me." I stated quickly, as I turned and walked into Honors car, speeding away from Rory, and everything she'd brought with her, though there was no real way to stop the pain inside of me at that lie.

XXXX

That night, after humiliating myself, I wrote my daily report.

_So, sunshine, check. Beaches, check. That magical thing they call love that your supposed to find in California, uncheck. Day fifty seven, new place. I've been writing these daily journals for quite some time, and they all sound exactly the same don't they? I've figured, I'm going to tell you what really happens. Not the same old crap that everyone is telling you. _

Just as I finished writing this I noticed a blinking and a ping sound coming from ym computer.

**MissingAceInLondon: **Hello, little Mrs. Gilmore.

**GilmoreWriting: **Uhm, hello?

**MissingAceInLondon: **I've noticed your wonderful writings, and I just wanted to tell you just how good they are.

**GilmoreWriting: **Uhm, thank you.

**MissingAceInLondon:** yes, so how was you're first day in California?

**GilmoreWriting: **Horrible actually. I feel quite stupid asking this, but who are you exactly?

**MissingAceInLondon: **Oh, I'm sorry. I'm a writer and editor of a small newspaper in California, I'm a very good friend of your boss, actually. I'm looking for more people to write for me, and you're on my list.

**GilmoreWriting: **Oh, that's wonderful!

Suddenly, I didn't feel so empty inside. I had someone I could talk to. Sure, he was also trying to decide if he wanted to hire me, but I could talk to him.

XXX

"Logan, I really don't think this is going to work. I think you should just tell Rory who you are now. I mean, explian that you really don't have another girlfriend. She'll understand." Honor sighed out for what must have been at least the tenth time.

"Honor, please. Just go if you don't want to help me. Rory will figure out." I stated, though inside I was questioning it.

_She'll figure out the screen name, right? _

**Sorry it's so short, I wrote a longer version, but it got deleted, and I have very little time lately because I have a lot of homework. I'll try to update sooner and with longer chapters, but I can't promise it. SOOOOOO sorry. **


	3. Chapter 3

One Ultimatum Too Many?

Chapter 3

"Rory! We have a crisis!" I heard my best friend yell as she ran into my house.

"What is it?" I asked, sending an e-mail off to my editor before turning to look at Lane.

"You'll never guess whose back in town!" She exclaimed, before falling back onto my twin bed, and taking up all the room.

"Lane, Dean lives here. I kind of expect him to show up in town sometimes." I answered, rolling my eyes at my friends idiocy.

"It's not Dean. It's the other one." She answered, sitting up and throwing me a look before continuing, "Do you really think I'd make a big deal about Dean being in town? I mean honestly."

"What other one?" I asked, turning to look at her sharply.

"She means me." A voice said from my window.

"Jess?" I asked when I turned around.

"The one and only." He replied, before climbing into my bedroom without a hitch.

"You realize we aren't in high school anymore. You could use a door." I said, rolling my eyes at him, and secretly trying to check him out.

He looked good. Better than before. His hair had grown out a little, and he'd grown a few inches, so he towered over me. His biceps and other muscles had definitely grown lots.

"Yeah, but it's not as fun." He answered, smirking at me, and looking around the rest of my room, "this hasn't changed very much."

"Yeah, well, I haven't been here very much. Why are you here, Jess?" I asked, finally getting out what I wanted to.

"Why else, Rory?" He asked, turning to me.

"You know, I have a feeling that I need to go. I'll see you later, okay Rory?" Lane said, getting up and skittering out of the room.

"No, Lane!" I called after her, only to hear the front door slam in her wake.

"Rory, I love you. I still love you." Jess said after an awkward moment of silence.

"You know, Jess, I suddenly recall hearing that before. But then, you left right after that, so what? You gonna do that again?" I asked, turning to him and glaring.

"Rory, you didn't say anything back!" He said, running his large hands through his overgrown hair.

"You didn't give me a chance to, you jerk!" I replied, throwing a pillow at his face.

"Look, I guess I deserve this. But you gotta give a guy credit for coming back so many times." He said, smiling slightly at me.

"You came back twice!" I exclaimed, picking up another pillow to throw at him.

"I came back, at least once a year. But when you ha boyfriends, I'd just go away. I figured that was best. Catch you when life was lest complicated." He said, taking the pillow from my hands and tossing it backwards onto my bed.

"Jess, that's not how life is! You have to stay around for the complicated stuff too. You can't just run away!" I said, throwing my small hand against his chest, and wishing it would actually hurt him.

"I wanna stop running, starting with you, Rory." He answered, leaning his face closer to mine.

"Jess, I can't do this. Not right now." I said, pushing him back from me.

"I'm not leaving, not this time." He said, coming close, and giving me a quick, meaningful hug before sweeping out my window and disappearing.

I lay down on my bed for a moment, before picking up my laptop and signing into the writing center. The guy from California was on. A few weeks ago, he'd decided not to hire me, but we had become good friends in the process of him thinking about becoming my new employer.

**GilmoreWriting: **You'll never believe what just happened to me!

**MissingAceInLondon: **What happened, lovely Mrs. Gilmore?

**GilmoreWriting:** One of my old boyfriends, Jess, showed up at my house, and told me he's been in love with me all this time.

**MissingAceInLondon:** What did you tell him?

**GilmoreWriting: **I told him that I couldn't do anything at the moment, but still, isn't that wild?

**MissingAceInLondon: **Rory, there's something you should know, about me.

**GilmoreWriting: **What is it, Mr. Elusive Man?

**MissingAceInLondon: **Well, see my name is Logan.

**GilmoreWriting: **Oh, hey! That's one of my other old boyfriend's names! He's actually the reason I said I didn't want anything Jess.

**MissingAceInLondon: **Why is he the reason?

**GilmoreWriting: **Well, see, when I was in Cali for the tour, I saw him. And before that I was completely over him, but nowadays I can't get him out of my head!

**MissingAceInLondon: **Oh, wow. Well, have you ever thought of talking to him?

**GilmoreWriting: **No, I haven't actually, but you know what, I might just do that! Thanks a lot, Logan(: You're great, you know? I'll talk to you later, gotta go see Lane!

**GilmoreWriting has signed off**

XXX

"So, what're you going to do now?" Honor asked once Rory had signed off, and my phone hadn't rung.

"I'm flying out there." I answered confidently, before getting up, and packing a bag, "look at see what time the next flight to Connecticut leaves."

"Sir, yes Sir. But, what exactly is the point of going there?" Honor asked as she typed into my computer.

"If that little immature bad boy can go out there to win her heart, so can I." I stated, shoving clothes into my duffel bag.

"Logan, are you sure this is a good idea?" Honor asked as she got the airlines timetables up.

"Have I ever had a good idea? Do you know me at all?" I asked, looking incredously at my older sister.

"You know now might be the time to start having good ideas!" Honor yelled out to me as I threw my bag in the car and raced to the airport trying to catch a plane that left in forty minutes.


	4. Chapter 4

One Ultimatum Too Many?

Chapter 4

"Hey, Rory. It's uhm, it's Logan." I stuttered out slowly after Rory answered my call from a payphone in the California airport.

"Logan? Logan Huntzberger?" Her soft voice asked, clearly shocked.

"Yeah…" I answered worriedly, hoping that she hadn't remembered any of our bad times since I'd gotten off of IM with her.

"How are you? I was actually just thinking about you!" She exclaimed, her voice getting happier and louder.

"I'm pretty good. How are you?" I asked; glad to hear that she still wanted to talk to me.

"Same here. So, why are you calling so suddenly? What's up?" She asked, suspicion creeping into her voice slowly.

"Well, actually, I'm going out to the east coast for a few days for a job interview, and I was just wondering if you'd want to catch up." I asked nervously, checking the time on my watch once again.

"That would be wonderful actually, I want to talk to you too." She said softly, her voice light and friendly.

"Good! So, I'll see you soon then?" I asked, hyperaware that I only had a few moments before my flight would be called.

"Wait, Logan, you're forgetting something." She laughed out.

"What?" I said, twisting to face the area where people for my flight were assembled.

"When you're coming out here!" She giggled out.

"Oh, yeah." I said, nervously, just as my flight was called. "Well, actually, I'm leaving right now. My flight was just called."

"Wow, way to give a girl a warning." She replied sarcastically.

"Yeah, well, you know me. I'll see you soon, Ace." I said quickly, before hanging up the phone, grabbing my bags off the floor, and walking to the entrance.

ZzzzzZzzzzZzzzz

"That was so strange." I said, hanging up my cell phone and turning to look at Lane.

"What was?" She asked, turning the chair around to look at me too.

"Logan just called. He's coming out here, and he wants to see me." I said, flopping backwards onto my back, and sighing.

"Really?" She asked, pulling my laptop over to my bed and laying down with me.

"Yup, it was all so strange too. He was like, in the airport when he called." I said, looking at the screen where Lane was pointing.

"Why are you pointing at Logan's IM?" I asked.

"You don't find anything strange about his IM name? C'mon Rory, I know you know this one." She said, looking at me hard.

"_See you soon, Ace." _Suddenly came into my mind as I looked at the screen name on my screen.

"Oh, my gosh. Logan's been scamming me this whole time. He's been IMing me pretending to be someone else, all the while getting information on me that I never would've told him in the first place." I said, suddenly feeling like a complete idiot.

"Well, duh, Rory. But, I think it's kind of romantic, don't you?" Lane asked, plopping down beside me and allowing a part of her fleshy stomach.

"No. I want payback." I replied, smiling evilly.

ZzzzzZzzzzZzzzz

"Hey, Rory, so are we still meeting for dinner tonight?" Logan asked two days later, after Lane and I had planned out our revenge, and Logan and I had planned our 'reunion'.

"Yeah. But, is it okay if I bring a little someone?" I asked, smiling down at my little sister who was sitting in the carrier, drooling on herself.

"Okay, we'll be there soon. Can't wait to see you!" I said excitedly, before hanging up and walking out the door.

RING! RING! My phone began ringing just as I started up my car. I grabbed the phone, and without looking at it, flipped it open.

"What?" I barked into the small phone, as I backed down my drive.

"Well, you don't gotta tell me twice. I just won't call no more." Lane laughed from the other end of the phone.

"Sorry, just nervous. Ha-ha, I'm on my way to the thing with Logan." I said, repeating the same words I'd been saying all week, because it wasn't a date, but it wasn't nothing either.

"I know. I was calling to see if you're still going with our plan." She said, though I could tell there was something more on her mind.

"Yes, I am. But what's really up?" I asked, flipping on my blinker as I turned down a street, and out of stars hollow.

"Well, Jess came over yesterday." She said, her voice sounding nervous.

"And?" I asked excitedly, pressing my foot too hard on the accelerator, and speeding up.

"Well, Rory, you need to talk to him." She said, her voice oozing with concern.

"Lane, why are you so certain that I need to have a reunion with two of my three ex-boyfriends in the same night?" I asked, sighing and blowing up my bangs.

"Rory, the only one for you is Jess Mariano." She answered, sounding completely certain of herself.

"Lane, you're being ridiculous. I'm at the restaurant now, and I need to go. Talk to you later." I said, ready to click my phone shut and grab the baby carrier.

"Okay, just, remember what I said." Lane whispered before hanging up without even a goodbye.

ZzzzzZzzzzZzzzz

"Rory, is that you?" I asked, looking at the brown eyed beauty that had just walked in the room, carrying a baby carrier.

"Oh, hey Logan!" She answered, turning around and smiling at me.

"So, who's this little girl?" I asked, bending down over the baby, after having had given Rory a hug.

"This is Clara Anastasia." She answered smiling at me.

"Whose is she?" I asked looking into her eyes and suddenly wanting to know what had been going on all this time.

"Mine." She answered, smiling sadly at me.

"Rory, you don't…you don't mean…" I said, falling back into my chair, suddenly feeling faint.

"I guess I should have told you before you came here, but it was so sudden, and I wasn't sure how to tell you." I said, putting on the act very well.

"Who is the dad?" I asked, looking hopefully at her, that it wasn't someone she'd met and had fallen in love with, and not told me about back in California.

"Never mind that, Logan. We should catch up on other things." I said, trying my hardest not to lie, while keeping up my act.

"Rory, I don't think this is such a good idea anymore." Logan said, swiftly getting up and walking toward the entrance.

"Oh, why, because I brought Clara with me? I couldn't find someone else to watch her, it was a last minute thing for both of us, you know?" I said, following after him and lightly touching his arm.

"No, it's because you aren't who you used to be. You've changed." He said, turning to face me, anger burning in his eyes.

"And neither are you." I snapped back.

"What do you mean by that?" He asked, confusion circling in his light eyes.

"I know what you've been doing. You've been lying to me for months, and only a heartless, cold, jerk would that to someone who didn't deserve it." I said, grabbing my purse and Clara's baby carrier and rushing out the door.

"Rory?" A deep voice asked, as soon as I walked out the door.

"Who's there?" I asked, whirling around to see a lit cigarette hit the ground and be crushed.

"Can we talk somewhere?" A boy I thought I'd never see again asked, grabbing at my hand, and making me feel faint.


	5. Chapter 5

One Ultimatum Too Many?

Chapter 5

"Tristan?" I asked, looking at the familiar boy who's haunted my dreams for months when I'd been with Dean in High school.

"Good job. Who's the spick?" He asked, nodding his head in the direction of Logan whom I could see, still sitting at the table with his head in his hands.

"Just an old boyfriend." I answered, playing it off as nonchalant as I could.

"And the cutie?" He asked, nodding down toward Clara.

"My mom's baby. My half-sister." I answered, smiling down at the sleeping innocent girl.

"Doesn't really look like you." He said, squinting down at her in the darkness.

"Hence, the half in front of the sister." I said, suddenly wondering what he was doing here.

"You're a lot more bitter than I remember, Mary." He replied, smirking at me.

"Don't call me that." I said, lowering my eyes at him, and turning to go.

"Look, I didn't mean it, but seriously, can we talk? I mean, I can't take you somewhere swanky like this, but I can take you to a diner a little ways down the road." He said, gesturing up at the large, expensive restaurant.

"Okay, get in." I replied, buckling Clara's baby carrier into the back seat and then climbing into the driver's seat.

Tristan and I didn't speak on the way over; instead he simply gave me directions to a small, family owned diner a few miles away from the large restaurant we'd previously been at. I walked in to find that the diner was surprisingly similar to Luke's. Though, it was different.

"So what do you want?" I asked as I sat across from him in booth by the window.

"I just want to talk to you. I haven't seen you since I left." Tristan responded, leaning back and stretching his arms behind his back.

"That's not my fault. You got yourself in trouble and got yourself shipped away." I replied, thinking of the day he'd come to tell me that he was getting shipped away, and then thinking of how things may have differed if he'd been around.

"You sure have changed, Mary." He said, looking at me quizzically.

"I've already told you once about that name, don't make me do it twice, cause I'll leave." I answered, lowering my eyes at him once again.

"Sorry, my bad." He answered.

"How'd you even know where to find me?" I asked, leaning forward and looking directly into his eyes.

"I followed you from Star's Hollow." He answered as though it was nothing.

"You what?" I asked, leaning back and looking at him as though he were a murderer.

"Well, I went to your house to see you, and then when I got there, you were leaving, so rather than wait outside your house like a freak, I followed you." He answered coolly.

"Making you a stalker." I said swiftly.

"You could say that. I just needed to talk to you." He said, his eyes falling to the ground.

"Why do you need to talk to me so badly?" I asked, finally letting the big question out.

"Because, Rory, I love you. I realized while I was sitting all alone in boot camp, and I've been looking for you ever since. But lord, you haven't stayed still long enough for a guy to catch up with you." He said, looking me directly in the eye as he said this.

I looked at his overgrown, shaggy blonde hair and the way he filled out his shirt, and wondered if I even knew this man. He wasn't the boy I'd gone to private school with, no, he was someone completely different. Someone open, and caring, whereas the boy I'd known had been closed off and ridiculing.

"Tristan, you don't even know me." I said softly, reaching for Clara's baby carriage.

"You can say that all you want, but I think I know you more than you want to let on. And it scares the shit out of you." He said sternly.

"No, it doesn't, because it's not true." I said, getting up to leave before turning back around, "Do you want me to take you anywhere?"

"No, I'll just catch a bus." He said harshly, looking out the window with a clenched jaw and a tightened face.

As I drove back to Stars Hollow, I thought over the past few days, and how things had changed so quickly. It was like a hurricane had come through and jostled everything in my life. As soon as I got into town, I drove to Luke's and dropped Clara off.

"Honey, what's wrong?" My mom asked me when I began walking out; instead of a reply I simply threw a wave over my shoulder and headed over to the gazebo.

"Hey Rory." A familiar girl's voice said. I looked up to see Clara, Dean's little sister heading over toward me.

She'd grown up into a beautiful girl, she had long, curls down her back and the height and weight of a supermodel.

"How are you?" I asked, patting the gazebo's bench for her to sit beside me.

"I'm really good. I actually came looking for Dean, but he's working so he told me to go away." She sighed looking over to Doosie's market where I could see Dean smiling and bagging people's groceries.

"What'd you want to tell him?" I asked, wanting to be interested in the conversation.

"Well, I just got engaged!" She squealed, holding up her right hand to show me a large, sparkling ring.

"I'm so happy for you!" I squealed right back, giving her a tight hug, just as Dean came out.

"Clara? Mom called, she wants you home, wherever you are." He called out, focusing hard through the dark of the night, "Who are you with?"

"Rory." She called back, still happily smiling at me.

With those words, Dean jogged over to the Gazebo to see us.

"Did you hear me, Clara?" He asked, looking sharply at his little sister.

"Clearly I heard you, I replied to you." She said her tone and face darkening.

"Then go." He said, standing there until she gave me another hug and then disappeared into the darkness.

"Hey Rory." Dean said softly, raising his hand in a little wave.

"Hey Dean." I answered, trying to sound happy, as he began to walk away, but once I was finished, he turned back around.

"What's wrong?" He asked, looking critically at me.

"Nothing, why would you ask?" I asked, smiling at him, and wishing he didn't know me so well.

"Rory, I know you better than that. C'mon tell me." He said, coming to sit by me.

I told him all about the IM's with Logan and the encounter in California. Then I told him about Jess being here, and what he'd said when he came into my room, and then about that Lane had said tonight before the thing with Logan. And finally, I told him about the diner and Tristan, which made him wince slightly, since he still hated the guy.

"I can't believe Lane said that!" He said at the end of it all.

"I know! As if I'm going to be-" I started when Dean interrupted me

"No, I mean, I can't believe she'd think that when she was always supposed to be on my side!" He said, looking and sounding surprised and shocked.

The look on his face, and the way he was acting made me burst out laughing, and then he did. After we'd calmed down he started to say something, "No, but seriously, Rory" He said as he leaned closer to me…


	6. Chapter 6

One Ultimatum Too Many?

Chapter 6

The look on his face, and the way he was acting made me burst out laughing, and then he did. After we'd calmed down he started to say something, "No, but seriously, Rory" He said as he leaned closer to me…

...And giving me a large hug.

"Oh, thank goodness." I whispered, sighing against Dean.

"What?" He asked, pulling away from me and smiling.

"You're not confessing that you're in love with me, too." I said, smiling up at him, and feeling relief in my heart.

"Nope." He said, grinning at me before standing up, "But, I do need to get back to work."

"And I should probably go home." I said, glancing down at my watch and realizing that it was nearly midnight. The two of us would be the talk of the town. Again.

I watched Dean walk off into Doosie's and was glad for some sort of normalcy in the craziness that had become my life. And just as I was thinking this, my phone went off.

"Hello?" I said, not even looking down at the number thinking that it would just be my mom telling me to get home. But of course it wasn't.

"So, what? Dean's good enough for a fourth try, but I can't get a second chance?" A voice teased in a gentle way.

"It's not like that. And besides, don't you have something better to do than stalk your ex-girlfriends?" I said, looking around for the boy on the phone.

"Not when the ex-girlfriend happens to be you." He said slyly, making me blush slightly.

"Where are you anyways?" I asked, twirling around and still looking him.

"Look up." He said softly, making me look into the trees and seeing a jean covered leg hanging from a branch.

"Were you up there the whole time Dean was down here?" I asked, smiling up at Jess.

"Yeah, pretty much." He said, climbing down and standing in front of me, "And don't think I was up there having a ball."

"The simple fact that I was down here with Dean means that you were about to kill that tree." I said, laughing slightly at the familiarity of everything about Jess and I.

"I think you're beginning to know me too well." Jess said softly, stepping forward and taking my hand.

"Jess." I said, stopping him because if I didn't say something now I didn't think I'd be able to stop myself from falling for him again.

"I know. I heard you up there, too." He said, dropping my hand, "I'll walk you home."

"You don't need to do that. It's a long way out of your way." I said, wanting a little time to myself to think things over.

"Are you sure?" He asked, looking at me thoughtfully, and I simply nodded before walking down the steps and onto the pavement.

XXXX

I watched Rory walk away into the darkness before noticing another presence in the nighttime shadows. I quickly crossed the street and rushed over to the boy, ready to know the truth.

"You don't even need to ask." the tall boy answered before I was even near him.

"So what's the answer?" I demanded, keep my distance for fear of my anger and anticipation overtaking me.

"You know it's yes." He smirked out, as if for even questioning the fact I was an idiot.

"You don't deserve another chance, and you know it." I said, stepping forward and lowering my eyes at the boy.

"Doesn't matter what either of us thinks. Only what she does. And you saw her with me, she was happy. She trusts me." He said, turning to walk back into the store behind him.

"You're going to get her back this time, Dean. I swear on it." I said, clenching my fists to keep myself from attacking the boy.

"You have nothing to do with anything going on. Oh, and fighting me? that's really not going to help you, so I'd keep your temper under control." Dean answered, looking back at me for a moment before disappearing into the store.

I stood staring into the thick glass window for minute after minute, before finally realizing that what Dean said was true. She was comfortable around Dean, while with me she seemed comfortable but also on edge. And, I had nothing to do with her decision. She was the only one that had a vote in it. And it certainly help me to fight Dean.

XXXX

"So how'd everything go, bud?" My sister asked from the other end of the phone as I plopped onto my crappy hotel bed and thought of some way to make anything that happened tonight seem good.

"Well, horrible." I said, deciding to simply tell the truth.

"She didn't like your idea of romance?" My sister teased, as she had told me that the idea was stupid and when Rory found out she'd be more than angry.

"You were right Honor." I said, cringing as the words left my mouth.

"What was that? I'm sorry, I think we have a bad connection." She said, laughing on the other end.

"You heard me. You were totally and completely right, she was so angry, and she figured it out before I even told her!" I said, rubbing my hand over my forehead.

"Oh, that's even worse than I figured would happen!" She said, pure sympathy filling her voice.

"Yeah, well, I should have listened to you a long time ago." I answered.

"Wow, it must have been really horrible for you to keep saying that. What happened?" She said, sounding genuinely interested.

"I don't want to talk about it, but I'm done with this, Honor." I said, sitting up straight and finally saying aloud the words I'd been dreading since my meeting with Rory.

"What do you mean?" She asked, confused.

"I'm done with this whole Rory situation." I said, letting a tear slid down my face but keeping my voice strong.

"Are you sure about that, Log?" She asked, sounding worried for my health.

"Positive." I said, trying to keep my voice from cracking as more and more hot tears fell down my face.

"Okay." She said cautiously.

"I'm going to go, but I'll talk to you tomorrow." I said, focusing on keeping the words normal.

"Logan, are you okay?" Honor said, her voice rising with concern, but I simply clicked off the phone.

I looked down at the supplies on my bed and wondered if this was really what I wanted to do, but then I remembered what Rory had said at dinner and how angry she'd been, and I knew this was the only way to make myself happy. I'd been living purely for the hope of getting back together with Rory, and now, that hope had been dashed.


	7. Chapter 7

"Ace, I know you told me at dinner that you didn't want to be with, and I respect that. But, I don't want to think that this is the end for us. In fact, I don't believe it at all. I have a ring, Rory. And I want it to be yours. I know this is probably really surprising, but it's the truth. You can have some time to think about this. Get back to me in a week. I love you, Ace" Logan's voice came out of my phone's voicemail with perfect clarity, but that doesn't mean I understood a single word.

When I had woken up this morning, there was a single missed call and a voicemail to match. This was not what I had been expecting. I walked out of my room to find my mom alone for the first time since I'd been home. She was sitting on the couch watching a movie and sipping on some coffee.

"Mom. Logan asked me to marry him." I said, walking into the room and pausing the movie.

"Again?" She asked, taking a long sip of her coffee and closing her eyes.

"Yep. Over the phone. In a voicemail." I continued, plopping myself onto the couch beside her.

"How romantic. All the little kiddies will be jealous." She laughed out, looking over at me and smiling.

"I just can't believe this." I said, laughing a little at the ridiculousness of the entire situation. "We went to dinner and I specifically told him I didn't want to be with him, so he decides to propose."

"Well I don't know what to tell you honey, you should probably break the bad news to him and tell him to cancel the wedding invitations." I nodded when she finished and gave her hug before heading out the door to take a walk and make a hard phone call.

On my way into town I dialed the number that Logan had called me from back. He answered on the second ring.

"Hello, Logan here." He answered, his tone annoying me.

"Logan. I cannot believe that message you left me last night. What on Earth made you think that was okay? Tell me you were drunk or something." I started out, feeling some anger boil to the top of my skin.

"Ace, I was completely serious last night, and stone cold sober." He said, his voice sounding cockier and cockier the longer we stayed on the phone.

"Well I'm saying no. Absolutely no, and it will never happen. I will never marry you Logan Huntzberger, and I would like to never speak to you again, as well." I stated, trying to be as cold and unfeeling as possible.

"Wait, what?" He asked, shock entering his voice and his smugness completely disappearing.

"You heard what I said, Logan. I'm done with you and I mean it. I want nothing to do with you." I finished this last statement and just hung up not wanting to listen to whatever Logan had to say back to this. I had also just reached town and I didn't need everyone to hear about this newest proposal I had gotten.

I headed over to Lane's, needing an immediate distraction. Kwan and Steve were both crying their heads off, and the house was filled with noise. As soon as I walked through the door, Lane handed a baby, Steve, to me and practically ordered me to change his diaper and put some clothes on him. Lane went to work on the other baby, and when we were both done changing them, the twins seemed satisfied for the moment.

"Sorry about that, mornings are the worst. They're both cranky and hungry and poopy all at the same time." Lane explained, pouring both a cup coffee.

"Oh it's fine. I needed the distraction." I stated, just as my phone began going off for the umpteenth time and I again ignored it.

"Who is so needy this morning?" Lane asked, bringing the cup to her mouth and looking at me over the rim as she sipped at it.

"Logan." I sighed out, taking a long sip of my own coffee as Lane seemed to choke on hers.

"What in the world does he want?" she said, her eyebrows raised as she recovered from her almost death on the coffee.

"He proposed via voicemail last night. And I rejected it this morning, very harshly. So he's been blowing up my phone since then." I stated, rolling my eyes as I put on my phone on silent because he was calling once more.

"Wow." She said quietly.

"I know. I made it clear the other night when we had that "date", but he just won't go away" I said, sighing.

"What are you going to do about your other 'secret admirer'" Lane giggled out, referring to Jess.

"Who knows. He'll probably lose interest on his own so he won't be a problem soon." I said, laughing and refusing to even think about Jess for more than a moment, "I think that Dean and I had a moment last night though, Lane. It was so weird. It was like we were back in high school before this all got so complicated."

"Well, it is complicated. And you've got to remember everything that's happened, okay? Don't fall head first into something that isn't worth it." Lane answered, taking our cups into the kitchen to rinse out as I thought about her words.


End file.
